Assistance needed on freshening up a Dell

I have a trusty Dell desktop that is not too old, but was initially bought a few years back, with the idea of being used for the most simple of daily tasks for my mother. We have since bought her a nice little Toshiba lappy and is very happy with it. So now, the trusty little Dell needs a boost in Horse Power. Since it has been a few years since I last juiced up a desktop, I could not think of a better place to ask for help, especially since this machine will be continuing it's main job as a cruncher for us. It is a simple machine with a 2.53 CeleronD and XP.

So my two questions are:

1. What ram can I get to improve performance for this machine?

2. Is there a GPU available for this box that will work for projects like PG, Moo, Einstien or MW? If not, a suggested inexpensive GPU just to keep me sane while I use the machine daily.

Box info:

Service tag: FM9HZB1
CPID: http://stats.free-dc.org/stats.php?p...a354f31695eef9

What other info do I need to provide to help in the efforts?

Thank you!
Aaron

Well since I'm the first to respond I could use more info as the Dell online service manual lists two different versions. The eassy way would be to run CPU-Z. CPU-Z will give very detailed info on the system hardware. After CPU-Z starts click on the "About" tab and then in the bottom section labeled "Tools" click the "Save Report (.TXT)" button. Next add the report to your next post as an attachment.

F$

Thank you for the very clear and detailed reply. The report does not seem to want to attach to the post via the uploader due to it being 34.5k and the forum limit for this type of file is 19.5k (find that hard to believe).

So I just uploaded it quick to my old mediafire account:

http://www.mediafire.com/view/?80cjhwrwywej6nt

Thank you.

Max RAM is 2GB DDR PC3200

Only slots on motherboard are 3 PCIs, so gonna need 3 of these as the best you can do: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814500221 They should get you up to ~210k credits/day

The CPU can only be upgraded to a P4 so really not worth it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by John P. Myers

Max RAM is 2GB DDR PC3200

Only slots on motherboard are 3 PCIs, so gonna need 3 of these as the best you can do: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814500221 They should get you up to ~210k credits/day

The CPU can only be upgraded to a P4 so really not worth it.

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Except I have a Pentium 4@2.8Ghz Socket-478 denim can have for free. Specs (Here) Note: This Pentium 4 uses 32-bit instruction set so you can only run a 32-bit OS.

Also, I have to dig through my parts box to be sure but I think I have a few sticks of PC3200 512BM or 1GB RAM. If I can find them there yours denim.

Side note:
If you are interested I think some of us on the team might be able to come up with better hardware that will fit that box. I will ask around to see what is out there.

For my part I have a 420 Watt PSU, some DDR2 RAM I have to inventory, a nVidia 9800GT GPU, and an AMD Athlon x2 Dual Core CPU. Someone else might be able to do better on the CPU....

F$

Quote:

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Originally Posted by John P. Myers

Max RAM is 2GB DDR PC3200

Only slots on motherboard are 3 PCIs, so gonna need 3 of these as the best you can do: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814500221 They should get you up to ~210k credits/day

The CPU can only be upgraded to a P4 so really not worth it.

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I just did this to a HP Dual Core and with the 3 GPUs John recommends it cranks out 200k daily now from dirt for a $150 investment. They had them at comp usa for $50 after a rebate.

I just added a USB fan to cool the GPUs but you may have to add an extra fan or such as I also left the case open.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kaptainkarl1

I just did this to a HP Dual Core and with the 3 GPUs John recommends it cranks out 200k daily now from dirt for a $150 investment. They had them at comp usa for $50 after a rebate.

I just added a USB fan to cool the GPUs but you may have to add an extra fan or such as I also left the case open.

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Yeah, that case is not made for crunching. My old Keithinator box had that same case. My mods to help ventilate it were dead dog ugly... but it worked.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by John P. Myers

Max RAM is 2GB DDR PC3200

Only slots on motherboard are 3 PCIs, so gonna need 3 of these as the best you can do: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814500221 They should get you up to ~210k credits/day

The CPU can only be upgraded to a P4 so really not worth it.

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Thank you very much for the reply and suggestion John. So you feel that is a good idea to grab three of these GPU's?

I will go with which ever you guys feel is the best use of this box and money spent on upgrading it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Fire$torm

Except I have a Pentium 4@2.8Ghz Socket-478 denim can have for free. Specs (Here) Note: This Pentium 4 uses 32-bit instruction set so you can only run a 32-bit OS.

Also, I have to dig through my parts box to be sure but I think I have a few sticks of PC3200 512BM or 1GB RAM. If I can find them there yours denim.

Side note:
If you are interested I think some of us on the team might be able to come up with better hardware that will fit that box. I will ask around to see what is out there.

For my part I have a 420 Watt PSU, some DDR2 RAM I have to inventory, a nVidia 9800GT GPU, and an AMD Athlon x2 Dual Core CPU. Someone else might be able to do better on the CPU....

F$

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Wow, thank you. I would feel strange taking freebies. Can the CPU (as I have never done it, only spectated) be swaped out as easy as RAM with zero adjustments from the fool at the keyboard?

As for that nVidia 9800, would it be more effective to run that single card, or grab three of the one's John suggested?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Fire$torm

Yeah, that case is not made for crunching. My old Keithinator box had that same case. My mods to help ventilate it were dead dog ugly... but it worked.

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I'm not worried about pretty (cars and women do not apply to that statement). ;)